A Dark Beginning
by Zera
Summary: A teenager from Domino High School is granted a gift that turns out to be a curse
1. Sotachii's Lucky Streak

Sotachii and the Dark Ring By Crazy Zera  
  
Chapter 1: Sotachii's Lucky Streak  
  
"I have waited too long for this day to come! The long and tedious hours of working near the one man other than my father that I look up to have finally paid off! With my hard-earned money, I was able to buy the cards I have so wanted. My deck will be undefeatable, and I will be named-."  
  
"Linkin, for the last time, sit down! Your pacing is driving me nuts!"  
  
Linkin Sotachii settled down into the armchair. He grunted quietly as he crossed his arms, slightly wrinkling the sleeves of his ruby red dress shirt. His grey eyes flashed angrily at the silver-haired girl in front of him.  
  
"I am so not looking forward to having you in my class on Monday, Kiichana."  
  
"Live with it, Linkin." Kiichana grabbed three locks of Sotachii's lavender bangs and braided them. "The nice thing is that kids my age will be there!"  
  
"Nice for you, maybe." Sotachii scratched the back of his head, ruffling his spiky silver-white hair. "Taylor and Wanker are childish enough, there need not be more of them!"  
  
"Linkin!"  
  
"Wheeler! That better?"  
  
"It still doesn't change the fact that my older brother is more childish than them." She punched him in the arm and walked off. "Now, go wash that gel out of your hair. It's stupid to go to Industrial Illusions looking like a corporate punk!"  
  
After watching his sister walk off, he sighed. "I happen to like my hair like this. Mr. Crawford hasn't yelled at me yet."  
  
***  
  
"Linkin Sotachii?"  
  
Sotachii woke up instantly and busied himself at the computer. "Sorry, sir. I." He looked back at the grey-haired man behind him. "Mr. Krokei! I'm terribly sorry about dozing off, sir!"  
  
"Mr. Crawford requests your presence for an audience," Krokei said calmly before walking off.  
  
"This is it! I'm fired!" He grabbed the silver jacket that hung on the back of his chair and followed Krokei. After everything my father did to get me this job! Wasted instantly! I'll bet he's waiting in Mr. Crawford's office, ready to kick my ass. He shuddered. No, wait. He'll ground me for life! That's a sure-fire thing he'll do if I lose this job!  
  
A tall man stood at the hall, watching as Sotachii walked up to him. His suit was of the deepest red, with a frilled white dress shirt beneath it. Long pale lavender hair framed a surprisingly youthful face, as well as kept his left eye hidden from view. He stared at the spiky-haired teen with the one visible red-brown eye.  
  
"There you are, Sotachii-boy." The man stepped aside, allowing Sotachii to enter. "I suppose your sister keeping you up all night is the main reason why you were snoozing at your desk."  
  
"Th-that's right, Mr. Crawford, sir. She's supposed to accompany me to classes tomorrow, and she won't let me sleep." Here it comes! "I have no choice but to fire you, Sotachii-boy."  
  
"I." Mr. Crawford paused.  
  
"Please don't fire me, sir! I need this job, or else I'll be grounded for life, and all my cards will be taken away from me!" He fell to his knees. "Please!"  
  
"I'm not going to fire you. You're the best designer we have here!" Mr. Crawford gestured for Sotachii to sit down. "Now, I must ask you. Do you have with you the cards you mentioned earlier?"  
  
Slightly shocked, Sotachii sat down in the smaller of the two wingback chairs and pulled his cards from his jacket pocket. "I'm just learning the game, though. The old man at the game shop says it's a terribly complex game."  
  
"That is correct, Sotachii-boy, but I've designed the game so that it's simple for both children and adults to understand the rules." He held up his hand, into which Krokei placed a deck of cards. "Shall we have a duel?"  
  
"Uh.sure."  
  
***  
  
"I'll play the Dark Magician in attack mode to take out your Archery Girl. That play reduces your life points to zero."  
  
Mr. Crawford smiled. "I am quite impressed, Sotachii-boy. You are only the second duelist to beat me, but the first amateur to beat me."  
  
"Thank you, sir." Sotachii blushed slightly. "And this was the first ever game I've played!" He rose to his feet and bowed slightly. "May I return to my work now?"  
  
"Well, no. I was careful to call you here near the end of your shift, so you wouldn't miss much work."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Also, the duel wasn't the only bit of business I had requested you for. I wish for you to deliver this message to one of your classmates tomorrow." He handed a neatly folded piece of paper to Sotachii. "It is not urgent, or I would've sent it out to him myself."  
  
"I'll make sure he gets it." Sotachii took the paper and smiled at Mr. Crawford. "Have a nice evening, sir."  
  
"You too, Sotachii-boy. By the way, your sister did a good job at braiding your hair."  
  
"Huh?" His eyes darted to the braided locks of hair. "Err.thanks."  
  
As he walked down the hall, Sotachii resisted the urge to open the note. Still, he looked over it for a name. When he found it, he wasn't pleased.  
  
"Not that arrogant jerk!"  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Sotachii shoved the piece of paper in his pocket and exited the house without a second thought.  
  
"Linkin, wait up!" Kiichana chased after him. "Did you forget that I have to go with you?"  
  
"I wish you would've."  
  
Kiichana smiled softly. "I'm sure you do, but I know you would've reminded me!"  
  
She's right. I would. He jumped onto his bike and slowly started down the sidewalk.  
  
"Linkin, look out!"  
  
"What in.?" He looked back over his shoulder, but all he could see was a colorful streak. "Holy sheeeeaaaaAAAAHHH!" At the last second, he abandoned his bike and dived into the bushes.  
  
"Bro!" Kiichana pedaled up to him and jumped off her bike. "Are you okay?"  
  
Growling, Sotachii rose to his feet. "That girl is going to kill someone someday."  
  
Several moments later, the two siblings arrived at Domino High School. Sotachii's eyes narrowed as he looked at three teen boys standing near the steps. The tallest of the trio had dark brown hair that seemed to cowlick into a single spike just above his forehead. Beside him was a blonde teen, who was accompanied by a brown-haired girl. The shortest had the most unique hairstyle, but only between him and the other two teens. His hair stood up in black spikes, which were highlighted with a dark pink, and blonde bangs hung down around his face.  
  
"Come on, Kiichana. Just ignore those three." He grabbed for his sister's hand, but she was nowhere near him. "Kiichana?"  
  
"Serenity!" Kiichana ran straight for the girl that stood near the teens.  
  
Sotachii groaned. "Kiichana!" He ran up to the group and grabbed his little sister's hand. "What are you doing?"  
  
"What, yeh didn't know?" The blonde teen placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Our sisters knew each other a few years back. Ain't that right, Serenity?"  
  
"Sure is, Joey!" Serenity laughed. "Hey, Kiichana, do you think my brother could beat yours in a duel?"  
  
"Hands down!" Kiichana smiled. "The only thing Linkin's good at is shouting."  
  
"Hey! Kiichana, I thought you were on my side!" Sotachii's eyes narrowed.  
  
"You just got those silly cards on Saturday. What makes you think you'd be good enough to beat someone that's been playing a lot longer than you?"  
  
"Not to mention I beat the infamous Bandit Keith," Joey added. "And Rex Raptor, and Mai Valentine, and the Brothers Paradox with Yugi's help, and-"  
  
Suddenly, his face turned red. "Okay, Wheeler, that's enough! Meet me in class, and have your cards ready!" He turned toward the school and started up the stairs.  
  
Kiichana chased after him. "Hey, bro! Is Yugi really in your class?"  
  
"Yeah, the little twerp's in my class. Why are you asking?"  
  
"I'm thinking of sitting with him. He's quite the cutie!" She blushed slightly. "And I think his hair is cool!"  
  
"What's so cool about it? It looks just like mine!"  
  
"You put too much hair gel in yours! I'm sure you'd look so much better if you keep it gel-free from time to time!"  
  
"It looks awful when there's no gel in it!" He snirked then cleared his throat. "Besides, I can't seem to do a thing with it."  
  
"That's not funny, Linkin!"  
  
***  
  
As soon as Sotachii entered the classroom, he made a sweeping glance. Good. The Goof Troop isn't here yet. Taking another glance, he noticed a brown-haired teenaged boy near the back of the class. His blue eyes were buried in a book that looked as though he wasn't going to put it down.  
  
Sotachii made his way to the back of the class to his usual seat behind the teen. Much to his surprise, however, a black-haired boy was sitting there instead.  
  
"Hey!" He slammed his hand down on the table. "I believe you're in my seat."  
  
The boy looked up. "But."  
  
"Move, pipsqueak!" He grabbed the boy by the collar and lifted him out of the seat. "I sit here for a purpose."  
  
"OW! Let me go!"  
  
"Put my brother down, Sotachii."  
  
Mockingly, Sotachii gasped. "It speaks!"  
  
The teen placed a bookmark in his book and placed it on the desk. "What do you want now?"  
  
As he pulled the note out of his pocket, he cleared his throat. "I have a message for Kaiba-boy," he said, imitating his employer. "Don't worry. I didn't read it. I wanted to read it over your shoulder just to bug ya."  
  
"Hey, Sotachii!" Joey walked through the door, followed by the other two teens and the two girls. "Are you ready to get your keister whupped?"  
  
"Dream on, Wheeler." Sotachii pulled out his deck of cards and turned around in his seat. "The only one getting his rear whomped is you."  
  
"You sound a bit too confident, Linkin," said the short teen. "My grandfather says."  
  
"Who cares what your grandfather says, Yugi? I easily kicked my employer's arse last night in my very first duel, and he says only one other person defeated him."  
  
The third teen shrugged. "Good luck, Joey."  
  
"Thanks, Tristan, but I won't need it against this amateur."  
  
Sotachii growled. "We'll see who the amateur is by the end of this duel! 1000 life points each, so this duel isn't wasting anyone's precious time."  
  
Both teens shuffled his cards and placed them down for the other to shuffle. "Duel!"  
  
Joey smirked. "I'll play Red-Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode!"  
  
"Nice move, Joey, but that move can easily be countered." Sotachii starts to place cards on the field. "I'll play Judge Man in attack mode, and I'll place a card face down as well."  
  
Overhearing the move, Kaiba looks over Sotachii's shoulder. "I hope you know what you're doing. Judge Man is weaker than that Red-Eyes."  
  
"You got that right, Kaiba!" Joey's grin widens. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon now attacks your Judge Man!"  
  
"And I activate my trap. Reinforcements allows me to raise Judge Man's attack power by 500 points for this turn, which makes him stronger than your Red-Eyes."  
  
"Big deal! It only takes 300 points from my life points!" As he moved the card to his discard pile, he snirked. "I'll still be able to beat an amateur like you!"  
  
Sotachii looks down at the cards in his hand. I'll show Mr. High-And- Mighty who the real amateur is. Smiling slightly, he places a card face down on the field. "I'll play this monster face-down and end my turn."  
  
"Then I'll play my favorite card, Flame Swordsman, to destroy your face- down card!"  
  
"Bad move." Sotachii turns the card face-up. "Your Flame Swordsman can't destroy the Dark Magician, even though it's in defense mode. I'll put him in attack mode for my turn, and take the rest of your life points."  
  
"What the.?" Joey's face blanches. "But.you're a rookie! I had second place in the tournament in the Duelists' Kingdom!"  
  
"You were just lucky." Sotachii turned around. "Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that."  
  
Groaning, Joey moves back to his own seat. "If I had more life points, I could've wiped you out."  
  
"Then we'll duel again tomorrow after school."  
  
"Why not today? Are you too chicken?"  
  
"No. It's just that unlike some blonde second-rate wannabes, I have a job to go to after school."  
  
"You liar!" Kiichana whacked her older brother over the head. "You have Mondays and Saturdays off!"  
  
"Very well, then." Kaiba casually picked up his book. "One dueling arena will be reserved for today at six."  
  
***  
  
"I can't believe that rookie beat Joey!"  
  
"Big deal. Anyone can beat Joey Wheeler!"  
  
"I'll be surprised if he can beat Yugi Mutou!"  
  
News of Sotachii's brief battle against Joey spread quickly through the school, and remained the topic for the rest of the day. Kiichana and Serenity talked about it most.  
  
"I can't believe Linkin won!" Kiichana's eyes grew wide.  
  
Serenity shrugged. "I figured that because Joey was one of the top duelists in that tournament, he would kick your brother's butt!"  
  
"Not that I really want to change the subject, but I really think it was nice of Yugi to give the prize money to Joey to pay for your surgery."  
  
"You really think so?"  
  
"Kiichana!" Sotachii grabbed his little sister's arm. "Come on!" He pulled out a card-shaped object and placed it on the ground. It expanded into a hovering board the size of a normal skateboard. As he stepped onto the board, he noticed that Kiichana was walking in another direction. "Kiichana!"  
  
"I'm getting a ride with Joey! I'll meet you at the arena!"  
  
"Give me a break." Sotachii started slowly down the road, but he didn't get far when his cell phone rang. "Linkin Sotachii."  
  
"Sotachii-boy, could you stop by my office before you go home? I have a gift for you."  
  
"Uh, sure thing, sir." At breakneck speed, he reversed his direction and flew toward the Industrial Illusions building. Mr. Crawford met him at the entrance, wearing the same red suit as the day before.  
  
"And I had only called you half a minute ago. Those hovercards are quite fast." He pulled a neatly wrapped box out from behind his back. "I know you don't work today, but I would like to let you know that I'm going to give you a hard-earned promotion. The determination you put into your work is priceless, so I'm letting you work three days on your original job, and the other two will be spent as secondary manager of Industrial Illusions." Smiling, he placed the box in Sotachii's hands. "Congratulations, Sotachii- boy."  
  
Sotachii opened the box and pulled out its contents. "Wow! This is. I don't know what to say, sir!"  
  
The object looked like the legendary Millennium Ring in detail, but not in color. Instead of a slightly tarnished golden color, it was sleek black with red streaks on it.  
  
"I had bought that on a trip to Africa some time ago, and I thought maybe you would like it. I assume it is supposed to be a wrongly colored replica of the Millennium Ring, but I could be wrong."  
  
"Thank you sir. I should get over to Kaiba Land soon." Sotachii started to leave, but Mr. Crawford grabbed his arm.  
  
"First of all, Sotachii, call me Pegasus. You calling me by my last name has gotten a bit tedious these past few years." He smiled. "Also, I had just had an interesting plan."  
  
***  
  
After hearing Pegasus' plan, Sotachii made his way to Kaiba Land. As he rocketed through the streets, he heard the sound of a miniature engine being revved beyond its limits. He looked toward the noise and saw a violet-haired girl on a moped. She looked up at Sotachii with magenta eyes and smiled.  
  
"Hey! You're the girl that's always trying to kill people!"  
  
"I prefer to be called Megumi, and I don't run over people on purpose," she answered back. "I have an idea. You wanna race?"  
  
"You're on, Megumi." He smirked. "The finish line is Kaiba Land. Loser has to buy a round of kimchi."  
  
"Wow! You're not as bad as you seem!" She started to pull away, revving the tiny engine higher.  
  
Not so fast, girl! Sotachii snapped his feet into a pair of straps on the hovercard and leaned forward. "Bonsai!" He rocketed past the girl, though his increased speed was taking him straight toward a statue of a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Instantly, he leaned back, but he was only able to slow down enough where the crash did little damage to the statue. The gift Pegasus had given to him flew out of his grip. Someone yelled out in surprise just as he dropped to the ground.  
  
Megumi skidded to a halt beside him. "I guess you win, but it looks like your ride's been totaled. Too bad, because I thought it was cool."  
  
"Sotachii!" Kaiba walked up to the spiky-haired teen. "You're not trying to get yourself killed again, are you?" He reached down and pulled Sotachii to his feet. "I find you to be a bigger idiot than Joey at times. And you wrecked the prototype hovercard I loaned to you!"  
  
"Likewise on the idiot part. Also, I had nothing to do with the destruction of your stupid little card." Sotachii dusted off his jacket. "You're the one that put that statue there in the first place." He turned over a piece of metal with his foot and examined the fuzzy brown monster on the other side. "Gahd. If this had been a real duel, I would've been dragon fodder for that Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon because of that stupid little Kuriboh. If you had given me the Blue-Eyes White Dragon hovercard in the first place like I asked, I wouldn't be looking for some way to wreck it, and this surely wouldn't have happened."  
  
"For the last time, that hovercard is never to leave my office." Kaiba sighed. "The others aren't here yet. You have time to prepare, and maybe come up with a better strategy."  
  
"A better strategy? I kicked Wheeler's butt this morning, and he hardly touched me!" Sotachii picked up his book bag. "Besides, I have a secret weapon coming. Now, where'd that replica Ring go?"  
  
A blue-haired teen walked out from behind the statue. His brown eyes were focused on the Millennium Ring replica in his hands.  
  
"I don't quite understand this. Even though I have the Millennium Ring on, it still manages to appear in front of me. Of course, why would anyone want to paint it?"  
  
"Bakura!" Angered, Sotachii swiped his hand between Bakura's, taking the artifact replica. "It's not the real deal. My boss bought it for me."  
  
"And who's your boss?" Megumi queried.  
  
"None other than the well-known and well-off Pegasus J. Crawford. My dad won't let me work for anyone lower." He glared sideways at Kaiba.  
  
"Very funny, Sotachii."  
  
"Thanks, Kaiba." Wearing his trademark smirk, Sotachii started for the main building. "Now, I believe you owe us some kimchi, Megumi."  
  
"What?" Megumi raised an eyebrow. "You said a round of kimchi!"  
  
"Yeah. For me and whoever wants it."  
  
"You never said that!"  
  
"Oh. I thought you would figure it out on your own." He laughed. "Of course, just be glad that Bakura's three dorky friends aren't here yet. You'd go broke fast."  
  
***  
  
The small group sat in the small cafeteria and waited for Joey and the others to arrive. Bakura went through three bowls of kimchi, all of which Megumi ended up buying.  
  
"I think I'm swiftly going broke anyway." She leaned against the table and sighed. "So, you want me to ref your duel against Joey?"  
  
Sotachii nodded, swallowing a mouthful of kimchi. "Only if you don't mind sharing the referee duties, that is."  
  
"So, who's the other ref?"  
  
"I thought you said you'd be waiting outside for me."  
  
Everyone turned to acknowledge the voice. Pegasus stood just behind Megumi, holding a black jacket over his shoulder. He wore a loose red sleeveless turtleneck, which showed slightly muscular arms, and a pair of black pants. His pale lavender hair was pulled back except for a few locks that still fell in his face.  
  
Sotachii blushed nervously. "Sorry, Pegasus. I.well."  
  
"Forget about it. You keep acting as though I was going to fire you or something."  
  
Shock crossed Megumi's face. "He wasn't joking!"  
  
Smiling, Pegasus pulled up a chair to the table. "So, who is the young man you're dueling with?"  
  
"Joey Wheeler. I already beat him once, and he's challenged me to a rematch in the arena."  
  
"He's probably the one chickening out." Kaiba leaned back slightly in his chair. "I mean, even though you both started with only 1000 life points, you were able to pull off a perfect win. I'll bet he's worried that you'll do even worse damage with 2000 life points."  
  
Joey thinks he's so high and mighty just because he placed second in the dueling tournament. Sotachii sipped calmly on his water. "It's six now. I'll give him five more minutes." 


	2. Joey Vs Sotachii

Chapter 2: Joey vs. Sotachii  
  
".Dark Magician defeats Flame Swordsman.I'll show him."  
  
"Joey, wake up! You're going to be late for the duel!"  
  
Groaning from the rude awakening, Joey sat up and looked at the clock. "GAH! It's six o'clock, and I forgot all about the duel!" He pulled on his white shirt and dashed down the stairs. "Sotachii's really going to chew me out for this! He's gonna call me a chicken!"  
  
Tristan watched as Joey hopped around on one foot while struggling to put on his shoes. "Uh, Joey, you want me to see if I can borrow your mom's car and."  
  
"Thanks, Tristan, but I don't really have time for you to bargain with my mother right now." He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door. "Man, I really wish I had a hoverboard like Sotachii's. I'd be there in two swipes of the Red-Eyes' tail!" He laughed to himself. Those things are awesome! Large enough to ride, then they shrink down to the size of the card it resembles.Eh, speakin' of cards. He reached into his pocket, but found nothing except a small stick with a curved plastic blade. "So that's where I put that." When he checked his other pocket, he found nothing. Frantically, he stopped and searched all his pockets "Dang! I forgot my cards!"  
  
"I have them right here, Joey!" Yugi, joined by the brown-haired Anzu, caught up to him. In Yugi's hand was a deck of cards. "I saw them on your desk after you left your room."  
  
"Man, thanks, Yuug." Joey took the cards from Yugi and smiled. "I'll see you guys later!"  
  
***  
  
Joey dashed through the doors of Kaiba Land and skidded to a halt just inches away from the horse of a statue of Gaia the Fierce Knight. "Eh, waiter, I'd like a fresh pair of underwear." He dropped into a sitting position in front of the statue.  
  
"So you finally decided to show yourself." From the direction of the cafeteria, Sotachii walked slowly toward him. He wore the same clothing that he wore to school, but he had an interesting addition. A black replica of Bakura's Millennium Ring hung from his neck. "I suppose you were cowering in a corner somewhere after realizing what a weakling you are."  
  
"I am not a weakling!" Joey rose to his feet and stared into Sotachii's eyes. "I simply fell asleep and, well.kinda forgot about the duel."  
  
"I knew it!" Sotachii laughed. "You were."  
  
"I believe that's enough out of both of you."  
  
Instinctively, Joey's eyes went to the person that spoke. Behind Sotachii was a man with pale lavender hair that was mostly tied back in a ponytail. Both his eyes were hidden in shadows made by his face. He wore a loose turtleneck and black pants. His bared arms, slightly muscular, were folded across his chest.  
  
A snirk escaped through Joey's nose. "Calling me a chicken when you're hiding behind your older brother!"  
  
"Just as stubborn as you were during your duel against Yugi, I see." The man looked up. Light glinted off the golden surface of something behind his hair. "You haven't changed much, Joseph."  
  
"Pegasus?" Joey glared at Sotachii. "Okay, Sotachii. How do you know this creep?"  
  
Sotachii growled. "Pegasus is my employer, and he's going to be one of the referees for our duel."  
  
"That so? Who's the other one?"  
  
"Miss Megumi Nekoi," Pegasus said calmly, taking a sip from a water bottle.  
  
"Eh." Joey tried to figure out the connection of names just as the violet- haired girl walked up to the small group. "Her?"  
  
"Nice to see you too, Joey," she said with a smile. "Shall we go."  
  
A loud crash occurred near the cafeteria. When the group ran to check on it, all they saw was Bakura sitting among two toppled garbage cans, with Kaiba walking away as though nothing happened.  
  
"You weren't trying to pull Kaiba's jacket up over his head again, were you?" Megumi asked.  
  
"Gee, Megu." Bakura, whose hair was now spiked like a pair of horns, looked up at Megumi. "What gave you that hint?"  
  
"I'm not letting you out of my sight for the rest of the evening, Bakura! You got that?"  
  
"I love you, too, Megu."  
  
Joey crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, let's go get this duel in motion!"  
  
***  
  
The duel between Joey and Sotachii drew an interesting crowd. Duelists stopped playing their own games to watch the two players battle. Among the crowd were Mai Valentine, a duelist beaten by Joey during the Duelist Tournament, and Duke Devlin, the creator of a game called Dungeon Dice Monsters.  
  
After the duel was started and well underway, Joey was starting to have a slight advantage. Having a much better knowledge of the duel arenas, he wasn't as awestruck as Sotachii. The spiky-haired teen, though victorious in his first two matches, was already down by 700 points.  
  
"I thought you weren't an amateur, Sotachii!" Joey smirked. "Where's that confidence you had this morning?"  
  
"Just shut up! I'll play my Dark Magician in attack mode, and attack the one you have in defense mode!"  
  
"And I'll thank Bakura for letting me borrow this card. Man-Eater Bug allows me to destroy one of your cards, and I choose to destroy your Dark Magician!"  
  
"My best card!"  
  
"Chalk one up for the mighty insects!" laughed the voice of Weevil Underwood.  
  
I have him right where I want him, Joey thought. Where I have four monsters on the field, he has none. I could just use my Red-Eyes and. What the.?  
  
Sotachii's sudden yell derailed Joey's thoughts. He was clutching his head and screaming as though he was shot in the chest.  
  
Maaan! This guy's a sorer loser than Pegasus and Kaiba combined!  
  
"What was that, Joseph?" Pegasus' Millennium Eye flashed at Joey.  
  
Whoops. "Sorry, Pegasus! I didn't mean it that way!"  
  
"I'll show you who the sorer loser is, Wheeler." Sotachii rose to his feet and glared across the arena at Joey, but the glare sent a chill down Joey's spine. He wasn't sure, but it seemed as though Sotachii's eyes were completely blank, with no iris or pupil. "Sure you have four more monsters than I do, but that means you have fallen into my trap! Earlier, I had placed a trap card: Just Desserts! Sure you may have taken most of my life points, but this precious move will take all of yours at once!"  
  
"GAH!" Joey's face suddenly blanched. "Why didn't I see that coming?"  
  
"Linkin, Linkin, he's the best!" cheered three girls on the sidelines.  
  
Man, why did Devlin bring his cheerleading squad? Joey groaned. If he hadn't played that stupid trap card, I'm sure those girls would be cheerin' "Joey, Joey, he's da bomb!"  
  
A look of concern crossed Bakura's face. "Something smells fishy."  
  
"No farkin' duh!" Megumi started to pummel Pegasus with a water bottle. "Why the devil did you even make that card to begin with?"  
  
Sotachii laughed. "You lose. I think I'll do the world a favor by removing you permanently." The strange Millennium Ring replica glowed brightly.  
  
"Woah, boy." Joey looked to the two referees. "Hey, Pegasus, you wanna use that eye of yours on Sotachii before he zaps me to oblivion?"  
  
"Why?" Kaiba asked. "He'd be doing us all a favor!"  
  
All color drained from Joey's face. He started to back up until he was at the edge of his platform. His body became paralyzed with fear as he closed his eyes braced for whatever attack he was in for.  
  
The attack never came. When he finally was able to open his eyes, he noticed that Sotachii was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Eh, what just happened?"  
  
"I think Sotachii passed out," Devlin said calmly.  
  
"Oh, I see. It's his turn to look like a fool!"  
  
"Who are you calling a fool?" Sotachii rose to his feet, cradling his head in his hand. "Can we just get this duel over with?"  
  
"The duel's over, Sotachii." Kaiba walked up to the spiky-haired teen. "You won."  
  
"What are you talking about? I haven't made my move yet!" He looked down at his console. "Hey! Why has my Just Desserts card been played?"  
  
Over his initial shock, Joey started to turn bright red. "Because you used it to destroy all 2000 of my life points in one turn! You're not playing dumb, are ya?"  
  
"Go take a hike, Wheeler. You're nothing but a sore loser, but I swear I didn't play that! Unless." He turned to Bakura. "Your little 'house guest' didn't invade my territorial space, did he?"  
  
Bakura's features suddenly took a different shape, as the spirit of his Millennium item possessed him again. "You are an idiot, Sotachii. The only way I'd be able to do that is if you were wearing the Millennium Ring!"  
  
"What does this look like?" Sotachii dangled his Millennium Ring replica where everyone could see it.  
  
"Oh. Fair enough." Yami Bakura paused. "Wait a second. I would remember being torn through a space that wide!"  
  
"You tried to do some weird zappity thing to me with your Millennium item lookalike!" Joey blanched again. "And your eyes were all.white and glowing!"  
  
Enraged, Sotachii crossed his arms. "You're just making that up!"  
  
"I'm afraid he's not, Sotachii." Devlin looked up at Sotachii. "It even gave me the chills!"  
  
Devlin's cheerleaders continued their cheers. "The greatest duelist ever is Link! He beat Joey before we could blink!"  
  
"Will you shut those girls up, Devlin?" Sotachii growled.  
  
Beside Devlin, Mai laughed. "This guy's been trying to prove that he's not a simple amateur, and he denies his move that wins him the game!"  
  
"Mai!" Sotachii disappeared from his console, only to reappear beside Mai. "What I had really meant to say was."  
  
Will he make up his mind? Joey dropped to a sitting position on his platform. Sure, he thinks he's a genius at a game he's just starting out at, but does he believe in the heart of the cards like Yugi and I do?  
  
***  
  
Quietly, Yugi sighed. "Well, I guess there was no way the heart of the cards could have saved you."  
  
"How's that supposed to make me feel better, Yuug?" Joey groaned. "He lured me into summoning four monsters by summoning monsters that were slightly stronger than the ones already on the field. That idiotic jerk tricked me!"  
  
"Watch who you're callin' an idiotic jerk!" Enraged, Sotachii started forward, but both Kaiba and Devlin grabbed him and held him back. "Let me go! I'll teach this jerk for calling me that!"  
  
"Knock it off, Sotachii." Kaiba held Sotachii in a chokehold. "Being here is like being in my house, but the only fighting allowed is to be restricted to the Duel Monsters arenas. You got that?"  
  
"Yeah!" Joey stuck out his tongue at Sotachii. "You got that, Sotachii?"  
  
"I was talking to both of you," Kaiba growled.  
  
"Oh. Well, in that case, yeah. I got ya."  
  
"I.understand." Words were slightly difficult for Sotachii. "So.could you let me go?"  
  
"What's the magic word?"  
  
"Let me go before I steal all your Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards and use them against you."  
  
"Fair enough." Bearing a grin, Kaiba released Sotachii. "Even though you didn't say please."  
  
"Very funny." Sotachii resumed his position beside a Blue-Eyes White Dragon statue. "I think you just might be a comedian someday."  
  
Joey grinned. "I'll bet he could get more people to laugh than you!"  
  
A vein started to emerge on Sotachii's forehead. "You are really starting to get on my nerves, Wheeler. One more wisecrack out of you."  
  
"What? Like how your sister thinks Yugi looks better than you even though you both have the same hairstyles?"  
  
Sotachii's face became a bright crimson. "That's it! I challenge you to another duel, and this time, we won't be hiding behind some holographic monsters!"  
  
Slightly annoyed, Megumi leaned against the statue. "Do I have to ref this duel as well?"  
  
"No more cards, Wheeler. We fight fisticuffs now!  
  
***  
  
Man, how'd I get myself dragged into this mess? Tossing his jacket aside, Joey stared at Sotachii across the makeshift battle arena that was really the front courtyard of Kaiba Land. The spiky-haired teen had not only removed his jacket, but his shirt as well. Elaborate tattoos and several scars covered his arms and chest. Does he think he's Mako Tsunami or something? And isn't he a bit young to have tattoos?  
  
"Go for it, Joey!" Tristan punched at the air a couple times before his fist connected with the nearby statue. "Ow."  
  
Sotachii removed the strange Ring replica and placed it on his jacket. "What are you waiting for, Wheeler? Christmas?"  
  
"Oh? I have the privilege of dealing the opening move?" Despite Joey's smart talk, he lashed out at Sotachii with a swift punch to the chest. Sotachii shot out a punch at the same time, hitting Joey's fist. Though the spiky-haired teen showed no signs of pain, Joey tried to hide the visible pain he felt from the punch. It's like punching a brick wall!  
  
"YEOW!" Cradling his hand, Joey stumbled backward. "That really hurt!"  
  
"Good." A grin played its way across Sotachii's face. "Pain is cowardice leaving the soul."  
  
"I'm not a coward!"  
  
"Then you must've learned your lesson. Are you going to give up?"  
  
"No way! Quitting is only a coward's way out!"  
  
Anzu's eyes grew wide. "Is that really Joey?"  
  
"Besides, I should be asking you that!" He started throwing punch after punch at Sotachii, but he either dodged or blocked every attack he threw. "Come on! Fight fair, will ya?"  
  
"Fair is where a Ferris wheel is!" Sotachii threw punch after punch at the blonde teen. Joey fell to the ground, cowering against the statue. "I live, duel, and fight my own way! If you ever want to stand up to me, you have to learn that!"  
  
Slight wetness coursed its way down Joey's cheek. He reached up and wiped it away. Blood stained the back of his hand, relieving him and frightening him at the same time.  
  
Angered, he grabbed Joey by the front of his shirt. "Now, are you going to apologize for those wisecracks, or do I have to send you home with a few more souvenirs?"  
  
"Why should I apologize? I meant every one of 'em!"  
  
"So if this is the way you want to do it, then we can do it this way." Sotachii pulled his fist back, ready to punch Joey in the face, but he stopped dead in his tracks, holding his fist only an inch away from Joey's face.  
  
Woah! Too close! Joey's heart beat wildly. I can only hope that Pegasus is right behind me, or.  
  
"Okay, who just hit me in the back of the head?" Releasing Joey, Sotachii glanced around at the onlookers. "I thought it was clear that this was a fight between the two of us! Whoever's next can wait until this fight's over!"  
  
As soon as he had the chance, Joey scrambled away from the enraged teen. He looked at Tristan, who was nervously looking at an object at Sotachii's feet. Isn't that the fake Millennium Ring?  
  
Indeed it was, sitting on the ground as though it had just been thrown. Sotachii's eyes went to the item, then to Tristan. "You must really think you're funny, Honda. Let's see how well you laugh after I break your funny bone!" He started toward Tristan, but Anzu stepped between them. "Out of the way, Anzu!"  
  
"It wasn't Tristan!" she retorted. "Some strange force lifted it off your stuff and sent it hurtling at your head."  
  
"Yeah. Honda's hands are strange enough."  
  
While Tristan was staring confusedly at his hands, Bakura and Megumi stepped forward.  
  
"She's right," Bakura said. "I've seen this sort of thing happen with my Millennium Ring, and it's the real deal!"  
  
"He's not joking!" Megumi started waving her fingers in the air as though she was casting a spell. "If Bakura's not wearing the Millennium Ring, it'll float around behind him as though someone else was wearing it! It freaked my mom out quite a few times!"  
  
"And it-Will you shut up?" Bakura flicked one of the ornamental tassels angrily. "No, I mean it! .Fine! Have it your way!" He tore the Millennium Ring from his neck and walked up to the nearest storm drain, where he proceeded to throw it down. "I hope you can swim!"  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Eh, can we get back to the phony Ring hitting Sotachii in the back of the head?"  
  
"Forget it." Sotachii grabbed his shirt and jacket. "I'm going home."  
  
"What a good idea." Megumi walked up to her moped, closely followed by Bakura. "You wanna ride with us?"  
  
"I'd rather be run over by you." As he pulled on his shirt, Sotachii walked off. "Besides, I don't live that far from here."  
  
Annoyance flashed across Joey's face. "Touchy."  
  
After Megumi and Bakura were gone, Kaiba shook his head. "You're as bad as he is, Wheeler. Now go home and nurse your wounds. I don't want to see your face again until tomorrow at class." He turned around and walked off.  
  
***  
  
"Ow! Careful!"  
  
"First of all, stop squirming so much, and second, don't pick anymore fights with my brother."  
  
Joey's eyes darted toward Sotachii's little sister. "All I said was."  
  
"It doesn't matter what you say, Joey. Linkin's a ruthless monster, and it seems to have gotten worse since his boss gave him that weird ring-like object."  
  
"Are you sure it's that? He didn't seem so boastful until he got his own Duel Monsters cards."  
  
Kiichana nodded. "True, but I'm a bit worried. Normally, if he's upset or overly excited about something, he'll cool down after a couple hours." She gently rubbed the bandage into place. "But you could be right. He still seems to be overjoyed by his minor victory over Mr. Crawford."  
  
"I would be too if I beat Pegasus in three turns."  
  
Hand to her chin, Kiichana leaned back. "Maybe I can overtake the mighty lord and return peace to the countryside." She looked up at Joey. "Can you get me some of these cards as well?"  
  
Is she joking? Joey paled. "You're kidding, right?"  
  
"He's overconfident in the game because he won three duels on his own. If."  
  
"You hardly know the game, Kiichana! Let Yugi take him." He barely got the sentence out of his mouth before she started piling change into his hands.  
  
"Please, Joey! Buy me as many packs as you can with that money!"  
  
She's dead set on this. I guess I should help her. He looked down at the money she had placed in his hand. There were several quarters and only a couple bills. "Kiichana, this is only enough to buy five packs."  
  
"Then get them! Bring them over tomorrow while Linkin is at work. My 'babysitter' will be there, but that's it."  
  
"Okay." 


	3. Defeated!

Chapter 3: Defeated!  
  
"Rock, paper, scissors, GO!"  
  
Their hands flew out at once, one in a flat position, the other in a tight fist. Kiichana squealed with delight.  
  
"I win!" She dashed around the corner and opened the door. Joey stood at the door with a paper bag.  
  
"Here's your cards," he said, handing her the bag. "Do you mind telling me your plan?"  
  
She shook her head. "Top secret. No one can know about it except me."  
  
Just as Joey was about to add another comment, footsteps came in their direction. "Um, Kiichana?" queried a voice. "Paper defeats rock. Not the other way around." Nervous laughter came from behind her.  
  
She looked back. "Mr. Honda, what are you.?"  
  
Joey laughed. "Tristan! What did you do to Sotachii to get this punishment?"  
  
"Nothing." Tristan smiled calmly. "Her father hired me, but Linkin doesn't know about it."  
  
"So that's why you were agreeing about the whole work ordeal yesterday, eh?" Before anyone could make a comment, Joey continued. "So, Kiichana, what's this plan of yours?"  
  
Though she tried to cut him off, Tristan placed his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. What's this plan, Kiichana?"  
  
Her head dropped. "Yugi told me about the ultimate beast he once had in his deck, and how he lost it. If I could find that and give it to him, he'd be able to beat my brother instantly!"  
  
"Point well taken, but those cards are rare." Joey walked in, removing his shoes as he did, and found a seat near the window. "The only reason he had them in the first place is because his grandfather gave them to him."  
  
"But I still want to try finding them!"  
  
Snatching the bag from Joey, Tristan looked at the contents. "Five packs isn't going to be enough, Kiichana. You'll be lucky to find one."  
  
"I'll chance it." She grabbed the packs from Tristan and disappeared out of the room.  
  
***  
  
"Come on, Kiichana! He'd never win that battle!"  
  
"But Serenity, he has such a good winning streak! Let him try!"  
  
Yugi stopped and looked toward the two arguing girls. The moment he stopped, they looked up.  
  
"Hi, Yugi!" Serenity smiled softly. "We were just talking about you."  
  
Also smiling, Kiichana nodded. "We're trying to figure out who would win if you and my brother were to hold a duel."  
  
"I would, of course!" Sotachii's voice rang boastfully in the short duelist's ears. "With my winning streak, I'm certain I can beat you, Mutou!"  
  
"You can try." Yugi smiled innocently. "I really can't guarantee that you'll win, though."  
  
A smirk appeared on Sotachii's face. "Okay, then. I'm sure my boss won't mind us using his arena."  
  
***  
  
"Really?" Pegasus smiled. "A duel? You and Yugi-boy? For that, you can use my arena."  
  
"Thank you, sir. I assure you that you will not be disappointed. Sure, Yugi's been playing longer than me." A smirk appeared on Sotachii's face. "I predict the dethroning of the legendary King of Games."  
  
"I don't doubt you one bit, Sotachii. I'll ask Krokei to oversee the match."  
  
Sotachii nodded and started for the door, but paused when he didn't hear footsteps behind him. "Sir, aren't you coming?"  
  
"No." He closed his visible eye. "I trust you will defeat Yugi with no effort."  
  
Nodding again, Sotachii walked off. "No effort? No problem." He pulled out his deck, staring at the Dark Magician at the top of his deck. "Yugi has only one Dark Magician, while I have three at my disposal. If I can get all three onto the field at once, I'll be unstoppable!"  
  
At the end of the hall he saw Yugi and his friends just entering the hallway. Not to his surprise he also saw Serenity and Kiichana. The short duelist waved calmly.  
  
"I'm looking forward to this duel," Yugi said when Sotachii drew nearer.  
  
"So am I." He smirked deviously. "It's time that the King of Games passed the crown on. This duel will decide who the better duelist is!"  
  
Kaiba snorted. "Don't get your hopes up. As long as I've known him, Yugi Mutou has never lost a battle to anyone and has surrendered only once."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Blue-Eyes." Sotachii waved his hand, dismissing the blue-eyed duelist's words. "Let's go, short-stuff. You've got a duel to lose!" He tapped on Yugi's head. "And no tricks! I made a challenge to the real you! Not that dark-voiced freak that claims to be your alter- ego."  
  
***  
  
Yugi positioned himself at the console and stared across the arena. "Okay, Sotachii," he said. "Whenever you're."  
  
"YAII!" Above in the balcony, Krokei shouted out in surprise as Kiichana jumped into his lap. "Miss Kiichana, what are you doing?"  
  
"I just wanted to say how much I admire you, sir."  
  
The older man cleared his throat. "Wait until after the duel to continue your praising please. You can, however, stay on this side of the balcony."  
  
Kiichana beamed. "Thank you!"  
  
"Now that that is over with." He lifted his arm into the air. "The duel between Linkin Sotachii and Yugi Mutou is about to."  
  
"Okay, Serenity! We get the picture!" Joey and Tristan stumbled out onto the balcony, closely followed by Serenity. "Can we watch the duel now?"  
  
"Sorry." She blushed slightly as she leaned against the rail. "Okay, we're here!"  
  
Sotachii growled. "Good. Let's get this duel over with!"  
  
Satisfied that no more interruptions would occur, Yugi drew five cards from his deck, but did not look at them. "You have the honors, Sotachii."  
  
"How lucky I am." He slapped a card down. "First, I'll play Dark Magician in attack mode!" His lips curled up in a devious smirk. "Let's see you beat that, Your Majesty!"  
  
Calmly Yugi drew a new card and looked down at his hand. His eyes grew wide. "Uh."  
  
"What?" From across the arena, Sotachii laughed. "Did you just now realize you can't use a Dark Magician to defeat a Dark Magician?"  
  
"No, not really." He placed down five of the cards. "I play.Exodia."  
  
"EXODIA?" Everyone in the arena, save Serenity and Kiichana, went pale.  
  
"Impossible!" Sotachii stared at the monstrous hologram, mouth agape. "Kiichana said you told her about how you lost it!"  
  
Recovering from the initial shock, Krokei rose to his feet. "The.winner, of this duel.is Yugi Mutou."  
  
Sotachii continually shook his head. "No.No!" He slammed his hands onto his console. "You cheated somehow! There is no way in the Shadow Realm you could've bought enough packs to find Exodia! No way at all!"  
  
From the balcony, Kiichana laughed. "You are a sore loser, bro!"  
  
***  
  
"It worked!" Kiichana ran out of the arena area and down the hall to where Yugi was exiting the arena, staring down at his cards. "Congratulations and thank you, Yugi!"  
  
"Thank you, and what are you talking about?"  
  
"My brother has been overconfident for the longest time. I wanted someone to beat him and finally get him to shut up." She threw her arms around his neck, almost hanging off him despite they were the same height.  
  
"You're.welcome." He placed his cards in his pocket, but handed her the five Exodia cards. "Here are your cards back."  
  
She blanched. "But.how did you know? Joey and Mr. Honda didn't tell you, did they?"  
  
"Joey and Tristan knew about this?"  
  
Realizing that she had exposed two of her adversaries, she slumped down against the wall. "I know it's only been a few days since he's gotten those cards, but he's no longer the smart-alek brother I used to know. He became overconfident after his first three battles. I wanted him to know that he could still be beaten."  
  
"By having someone else fight your battles?"  
  
"I wanted to buy enough cards to start my own deck, but I only had enough for five packs. It came as a surprise to me that each pack had a different piece of Exodia in it."  
  
Yugi knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. "Who else did you involve in this, Kiichana?" When she looked away, he growled. "Kiichana! Who else was involved?"  
  
"Serenity and Mokuba." She kept her eyes from making contact with his. "Mostly because they didn't like the way Linkin treated their brothers." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm surprised they're still willing to be friends with me."  
  
"It's your brother they fear, Kiichana. Not you." He sat down beside her. "Take those five cards and make your own Exodia deck. I'll teach you how to play, too, when you get your deck together."  
  
The sadness left Kiichana's face. "Thank you, Yugi." She smiled at the spiky-haired duelist. "I look forward to the lessons when the time is right."  
  
***  
  
Sotachii fell to his knees. "I lost. I actually lost a duel." He closed his eyes. "He defeated me in one turn!"  
  
Quit whining! hissed a voice in his mind. His eyes snapped open and he swiftly looked around. Everyone had left the arena except him.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
You will not find me anywhere around you, mortal. I am the dark thoughts and fears from deep within your mind.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
My name does not matter. What does matter is that you retrieve that Millennium Puzzle from the kid! Steal the king's crown!  
  
The room seemed to spin around him. Within his head, the nameless voice laughed frighteningly.  
  
Come on, Linkin! On your feet! We have work to do!  
  
"But, how.?"  
  
That item Pegasus gave you is a special tool. It warps the mind of the person wearing it, but that is not all. It has a dark energy spell on it that can shred even the strongest soul. Use the spell to destroy Little Yugi's soul, and take the Puzzle as your own!  
  
"Go away! I never asked for you to be here!"  
  
But I've been with you since your birth, but I've been hidden deep within the recesses of your mind. Another evil laugh echoed in his mind. After seventeen years, I am finally free! 


	4. Yami's Plan

Wow! I didn't expect I'd get any reviews on this story! And I didn't expect I'd be going on with it, either.  
  
Yami: seems to want to see me.  
  
Yami Zera: Precisely. Yami Bakura and Sotachii's demon soul.or whatever you plan to call it.have gotten more publicity time in this story than him!  
  
Yami: All that's shown of me is small references like being called a "dark- voiced freak." That I do not appreciate.  
  
Zera: Fine. I'll give you more lines.  
  
YZ: He never had lines to begin with.  
  
Zera: . .Oh! I never made a disclaimer for this story! First off, Yu-Gi-Oh! and the characters are property of Takahashi-san. I claim no right to them, nor do I claim right to the character Megumi Nekoi-she belongs to my friend Yukie. ^^  
  
Yami and YZ: *rolls eyes*  
  
Zera: Linkin Sotachii and Kiichana are my characters, however. Now, with no further delay, I give you Chapter 4! R&R, please!  
  
Chapter 4: Yami's Plan  
  
"It was all a trick. Kiichana had sabotaged this duel."  
  
Yugi looked up, not the least surprised to see the slightly faded image of Yami, his spirit partner. The tall spirit was looking back at the arena they were walking away from.  
  
"I can't believe I fell for it!" Yugi clenched his fist. "Yami-sama, why didn't you warn me?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Yugi. She had distracted me as well, so I did not see who had managed to slip the cards onto the deck."  
  
"I'm guessing it might've been Mokuba. Kiichana said he had helped as well, and he made a big deal of wandering off with Kiichana and Serenity."  
  
Yami was about to respond when a loud crash came from behind them. The spirit disappeared, switching physical places with Yugi. He spun around to face the figure that appeared before them.  
  
"Sotachii?"  
  
"Hand it over!" hissed the silver-haired teen. "Give me the Puzzle!"  
  
"He's never acted like this before!" Yugi thought. "Kiichana was right! He has changed!"  
  
"We have to open his mind!" Yami looked at Sotachii. "This may sting a bit." He held up a splay-fingered hand, palm pointing at Sotachii. "MIND CRUSH!"  
  
At once, Sotachii flew back down the hall a ways, only to rise back to his feet. A smirk appeared on his face as he wiped at his lower lip with the back of his hand.  
  
"Was that supposed to hurt?" he asked.  
  
"Impossible!" Both Yami and Yugi were surprised. "That always works!"  
  
"You leave me with no other choice, Sotachii." Yami bolted forward and swung at Sotachii with a hard right to the face. The silver-haired duelist flew back again, tumbling along the floor. "Cleanup on Corridor Five." He turned back to the direction they were originally going and ran out the door.  
  
***  
  
"So you just left him there?" Kiichana stared up at Yami. "The least you could've done was bring him home!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Kiichana. However, I saw your father in the hall and told him what happened."  
  
The purple-eyed girl turned away. "Which means you told him something far from the truth."  
  
"Your father."  
  
"You know, if you told him the truth."  
  
"Guard or not, I had harmed his son! There is no way he would let me get away with something like that!" Yami closed his eyes. "I did feel sorry about doing that to your brother, however."  
  
"But Yugi.I mean, Yami." She sighed. "I want to help him. I want him to see that power is not the greatest luxury in the world!"  
  
Yami nodded. "I can help you with that, Kiichana. Once before have I dealt with a problem like that." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "But you will have a part in this as well."  
  
"I will?"  
  
"Yes." He sat on a chair. "I will buy you a starter deck so you can duel him yourself."  
  
"But."  
  
"I will teach you how to play the game. It is difficult, but you will catch on soon enough." The Millennium Puzzle flashed, and soon Yugi was standing where Yami had.  
  
"Trust him, Kiichana." The teenaged duelist smiled slightly. "He's well- known for bailing people out of tight spots. He'll help you out of this."  
  
Slowly Kiichana nodded. "Feel free to come over tomorrow. The only people that will be here are me and Mr. Honda."  
  
Yugi was about to ask a question when Tristan made his way up the path to the house. "Bad news, Kiichana," he said. "Mr. Sotachii told me that your brother's off work early complaining of a headache. If he sees me here, I'm pretty much screwed." His frown soon turned into a slight smile. "However, your father gave me the name of a temporary replacement."  
  
"Who?" Kiichana all but jumped into Tristan's arms. "Is it Mr. Krokei?"  
  
"Well, no." He laughed nervously as he stepped aside and pointed to the figure at the end of the walk. "True that Krokei is one of the people your brother won't verbally or physically attack, but she's the other."  
  
The woman walked up to the small group. "This better be worth my time, Tristan," she said. "I really had other plans for this evening."  
  
A smile appeared on Kiichana's face. "Mai!"  
  
Mai looked down as the young girl laughed. "Babysitting?" She looked at the brown-haired teen. "Is that what you want me to do?"  
  
"Just for today, Mai. Her brother doesn't know that I'm her real babysitter."  
  
"He'll find out, though. Now's as good a time as any." She started back down the walk.  
  
"Please, Mai?" Kiichana dashed up to the woman. "It'll be just us girls until my brother gets home!"  
  
"Kid, you're hyperactive, naïve, and probably don't have a single clue about true beauty. I'd be wasting my time." While Tristan and Yugi sweatdropped, Mai laughed. "But my other plans were simply to sit around and figure out strategies for my Harpies." She flicked a hand toward the two teens. "Now run along, you two, before her brother gets home."  
  
As soon as the teens were gone, Kiichana pulled Mai into the house. "Can I see your cards?" she asked. "I really want to build my own deck, and I wanna see what some of the other cards look like."  
  
"Sure. You look as though you're very into Duel Monsters."  
  
"I have to be if I'm going to beat my brother in a duel!" Kiichana held up the five Exodia cards. "I'm basing my deck on these cards, and Yugi's going to teach me how to play!"  
  
Mai smiled. "Who better than the King of Games himself?" She held up a small group of cards. "Harpie Lady and Harpie Lady's Sisters are the cards I based my deck on."  
  
The young girl was awestruck. "Harpies.I think I saw a card with an almost similar name." She ran up the stairs and grabbed the remaining cards from the five packs. As she came down the stairs, she found the card she was looking for. "Harpie's Brother. Have you ever heard of it? The only thing special about it is that it's stronger than Harpie Lady."  
  
"Stronger than Harpie Lady, huh?" The blonde duelist looked at the card Kiichana held. "I might have a card with me that I'd be willing to trade you."  
  
***  
  
"Head.throbbing." Sotachii sat on his new hovercard as it lazily floated down the street. "I'm in so much pain I can't seem to stand going fast. Just hope Megumi doesn't decide to take this moment and."  
  
The sound of a whining moped engine caught his attention. He groaned just as said moped zipped by him, skidding to a stop a few yards down the street. Soon after, his board's sluggish pace brought him up to the small bike, which held two all-too-familiar figures.  
  
"Tomo-tachi!" announced Megumi. When he ignored her and continued down the street, she and Bakura dismounted the moped and walked alongside him. "What's your problem? You don't seem to be riding at breakneck speed."  
  
"You wanna keep the volume down? Your shouting doesn't seem to be helping my headache."  
  
Almost immediately after Sotachii's comment, Bakura's hair stuck up in slight spikes as his Yami self took over. "You sure have gotten weak, Sotachii," he teased. "Even I can withstand a simple headache!"  
  
"Well, do your headaches feel like someone threw you back several feet then punched you in the head and leave you tumbling across the floor?"  
  
"Sounds more like you were fighting." Megumi smirked. "Then I guess we'll leave you on your way home to pull a Joey."  
  
Anger flashed in Sotachii's eyes. "I do not find that the least bit funny."  
  
Yami Bakura faked a slightly wheezing cough that sounded like "Wheeler." Understanding what he said, Megumi laughed.  
  
"I'm just going to ignore that and go home." His attention was turned toward the row of houses to his left. He easily spotted his house amidst the group and veered toward it. In the window, he noticed two figures laughing. "Is that.?"  
  
"So after I realized that he was a teenaged boy, I just couldn't help but laugh! I mean, no guys I know have long hair and wear jewelry! And if he uses perfume as well, then I guess that's his problem."  
  
He slowly walked through the door. Kiichana looked up, almost surprised. "Bro!"  
  
The woman with her looked back, fully surprised. "Sotachii?"  
  
Sotachii's jaw dropped. "Mai, what are you doing here?" He dramatically reached up and cradled his head. "I mean, ohhh." To add to his act, he stumbled through the door. "I'm so glad you're here, Mai. This headache just won't go away."  
  
Mai crossed her arms. "Well, don't look to me for ideas. I'll just make your headache worse."  
  
A nervous grin appeared on Kiichana's face. "Um, bro, Mai's my babysitter. Father hired her."  
  
"What do you need a babysitter for? From what I've gathered, Mokuba's the same age as you and Kaiba leaves him alone." As an afterthought, he added, "And the little punk's rich!"  
  
"But."  
  
"Oh, well. At least it isn't one of those twerps, like Honda."  
  
Mai and Kiichana exchanged a nervous glance while his back was turned.  
  
***  
  
"But, Grampa, I."  
  
Soguroku shook his head. "Out of the question, Yugi. I need you here after school to help out in the shop; I'm sure your friend will understand that." He turned around and returned his attention back to stocking the shelves.  
  
Frustrated, Yugi trudged into the back of the game shop and slumped down onto the couch. "Just my luck. Kiichana's going to be angry with me, too."  
  
"She'll get over it," answered Yami's reassuring voice. "You only need to tell her what happened. She'll probably be a little annoyed."  
  
"I'll be lucky if that's all she is."  
  
"Here's a simple solution for you, Yugi. Just give the cards to Tristan. I'm sure he'll be more than glad to give her the cards."  
  
Yugi suddenly laughed. "You're right, Yami-sama! Tristan's her babysitter, so he'll surely go over there today." He jumped to his feet and grabbed both his backpack and the small bag holding Kiichana's starter deck. With almost no farewell to his grandfather he bolted out of the game shop, down the street, and up to the school.  
  
"I think Megumi would be jealous of you if you keep up speeds like that." Bakura gave a friendly smile to the panting teenager.  
  
"I thought maybe he was practicing for this afternoon when I hunt him down for the embarrassing defeat he gave me the other day." Sotachii stood nearby, his face set in his typical glower. He sneered at the teens, cracked his knuckles. "I'm sure your grandfather won't mind if you arrive home with that stupid puzzle of yours imprinted on your face. In fact, I think it would be very becoming."  
  
"Enough, Linkin."  
  
Surprised by the voice, Bakura and Yugi turned around. Kaiba stood just behind them, arms crossed.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't let people simply threaten others for their personal pleasure. It is not suiting."  
  
Sotachii snirked. "Kaiba, I thought you and Mutou were rivals. Why the hell are you standing up for this twerp? Let him fight his own battles!"  
  
As the older teen started forward, Yami took control. "Stand down, Sotachii," he commanded. "I don't wish to fight you."  
  
"You sure didn't seem hesitant when you planted your fist in my face the other day! I'm perfectly ready to personally give you the same treatment!"  
  
"Knock it off!"  
  
Fist cocked and ready to swing, Sotachii paused at the sound of the voice. He looked toward the other side of the street. Suddenly, his expression softened as he grinned stupidly. "Mai! So glad you could come! I really needed to talk to you anyway." His voice faded out as he crossed the street.  
  
Bakura shrugged, then looked at the bag Yugi held. "What's in there?" he asked curiously.  
  
"A starter deck. I need to give it to Tristan so he can give it to Sotachii's little sister." At the sound of a simple "hmph," Yugi looked to the brown-haired teen. "What?"  
  
"Linkin surely doesn't like you. How can he stand Honda?"  
  
As they walked into the school building, Yugi explained the situation to Kaiba.  
  
"Well, it's nice to know that his father is more confident than he is." Kaiba grabbed his book from his locker. "No matter. I trust that you'll be teaching her how to play, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I know for certain that there is more hope for her now than there was for Joey when he first started. And since she's learning from the best, then I trust she will finally end her brother's arrogant reign." 


	5. Kiichana's Duel

Chapter 5: Kiichana's Duel  
  
"Heart of the cards? What's that mean?"  
  
The following month found Kiichana sitting in Yugi's room, her new cards on his desk and a notepad in her lap. She took notes during Yami's brief lectures and participated in his training duels. When he brought up the phrase he was most well-known for, she found herself slightly confused.  
  
"The way you build your deck," he started, "you use the cards you feel are best. Now, if I were to."  
  
"Yugi!" Soguroku stood near the stairs and called up to them. "Yugi, you have a visitor!"  
  
"Send him up!" Yugi took over and walked over to the door. He looked out momentarily before letting out a gasp.  
  
"Thanks, Mr. Mutou. I just need to ask him a couple questions, then I'll be out of here."  
  
Yugi went pale. "Kiichana, your brother's here!"  
  
Something caught in her throat. "If he catches me here, he'll try to get me grounded!"  
  
Looking around, Yugi looked at the window. "The roof!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up onto the desk. "I'm sure he won't look for you there!"  
  
Just as she clambered out the window Sotachii reached the door. "Hey, Mutou. Could I ask you something?"  
  
"Er.sure. What is it?"  
  
"Have you seen my sister recently? She seems to make a big deal about leaving for Wanker's house every afternoon. I can understand a couple times a week, but she's there every day!"  
  
Something inside her started to heat up. "Must he call him that?" she whispered to herself.  
  
"And, well, since you two are best friends, I thought maybe you'd know what she was up to."  
  
"Sorry, Sotachii. If she's up to anything over there, neither Joey nor Serenity will tell me. I'll let you know if she decides to let me know what's going on."  
  
"Oh, well. Thanks anyway, squirt."  
  
Kiichana started to relax. Her footing on the shingles started to slip. She gasped softly, clapping her hand over her mouth.  
  
"Hey, Mutou! Why's your window open? It's colder than Siberia out there!"  
  
"I felt a little warm. That's all."  
  
She suddenly felt her brother's presence closer to the window than before. "Nice view out here nonetheless. You can see Industrial Illusions from here, along with Kaiba Corporations, the arcade, and lying, snot-faced sisters!"  
  
Surprised, she looked toward the window. Her brother glared at her furiously, a dark scowl on his face. "L.Linkin!"  
  
"There's a difference, Kiichana. Wanker doesn't live in a game shop!" He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her in through the window. "I cannot believe you straight out lied to me! You are going to be so grounded when we get home!"  
  
"Linkin, no! Please!"  
  
"That'll mean no more television, no more games, and certainly no more hanging out with those other two twerps!"  
  
Nearly in tears she tried to pull from his grip. "I.I." she stammered. Her gaze went to Yugi, who was once again replaced by Yami. He nodded briefly, causing her to smile. "I challenge you!"  
  
"What?" He looked down at her. "You.challenge me?"  
  
"A game of Duel Monsters. Meet me at Kaiba Land tomorrow after school!"  
  
Sotachii laughed. "How do you expect that'll save you from getting grounded?"  
  
"Fine. If you win, I'll stay away from my friends. But if I win." She smiled. "If I win, you have to drop the charges."  
  
For a moment Sotachii stared down at her. "Errgh.fine. You have a deal, but the duel will have to be today. I can easily tell Dad about your lie when he gets home tonight."  
  
"Deal."  
  
***  
  
"Please, Mr. Kaiba! We need an arena!"  
  
Kaiba shook his head. "Sorry, Kiichana. Kaiba Land is going to close soon."  
  
Peeved, Yami growled. "Kaiba, the duel is for a good cause! Sotachii's reign will end tonight!"  
  
"It already ended, Yami. Yugi beat him, remember?"  
  
"You idiot!" Kiichana kicked Kaiba in the shin, causing to kneel down not in pain, but in surprise. "It was a setup! The Exodia cards were mine!"  
  
Surprised, Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Your cards? But you were on the balcony with Krokei! How.?"  
  
Nervously she looked away. "I.I asked Serenity to help me. She's the one that actually slipped the cards onto the deck. Mokuba and I were decoys so you wouldn't notice her put the cards there."  
  
"What?" Kaiba looked up sharply. "Mokuba was involved as well?"  
  
"AND Serenity?" Joey crossed his arms over his chest. "Kiichana, you told me that you weren't going to ask my sister for help!"  
  
Both Mokuba and Serenity stared at the ground. "I'll have to agree that Sotachii has grown vengeful having been defeated in one turn," Kaiba said, ignoring the youths as he rose to his feet. "I guess I can allow the duel, but with a slight difference. Just give me a moment." He turned around and walked off.  
  
A loud whining sound caught their attention. Yami turned around to see the duel referee pull up on her moped. Just behind her was the wild-haired Yami Bakura.  
  
"Don't tell me we beat Tomo-tachii here!" said the tomb robber, jumping off the bike. "Well, at least he's giving me a few more reasons to laugh at him."  
  
"And tease him for pulling a Wheeler!" Megumi smiled. "No offense, Joey."  
  
"Well, uh, none taken, I guess." He smiled back, rather sheepishly.  
  
After a moment Yami Bakura stepped up to Kiichana. "I did it for Wheeler, so I'll do it for you as well. I'm letting you borrow a few cards so maybe you can defeat your brother." He held five cards toward the girl. "You can use it in case the Exodia plan doesn't work."  
  
Moments later Kaiba returned, two boxes in his arms. "I've never made exceptions for late duelists, and I'm not about to, but I'll allow the duel to commence out here." He handed one of the boxes to Kiichana. "If you defeat Sotachii, I'll allow you to keep it."  
  
"Wow!" She looked at the box. "A Duel Disk system? Are you serious?"  
  
"A gift for silencing him for good." He smiled, an action he seemed to rarely do. "Surprised you beat him here, Megumi. I thought for certain I'd be cleaning up the mess made by another destroyed hovercard."  
  
"You need to get a life, Kaiba!" Sotachii stepped down from his hovercard. "And Megumi, I was wondering if you'd ever get here."  
  
As the referee stared at him, Kiichana slipped the Duel Disk onto her arm. "Enough talk! Are you ready?"  
  
"Sure as hell!" He snatched the second box from Kaiba and equipped the miniature dueling arena to his arm. "Get ready to be grounded for the rest of your life!"  
  
"DUEL!"  
  
Linkin: 4000 Kiichana: 4000  
  
Megumi held up her hand. "The battle of the siblings is about to begin! Battle City rules will apply, minus that whole 'give up your rarest card' shebang."  
  
"Battle City?!" Sotachii stared at her for a moment. "But.!"  
  
"Rules are rules, bro." Kiichana grinned.  
  
"Fine. I'll play one card face down, then summon Overdrive, attack position. That's it for me."  
  
A large tank appeared on the field, roaring idly beside Sotachii, as did a card that was roughly the size of a hovercard. Kiichana shrugged, drawing a card. "First of all, I don't quite trust your face-down card. Activating magic card Bait Doll!"  
  
"What?" Sotachii backed up, bumping into the Blue-Eyes statue. A strange object, most likely a voodoo doll, appeared on Kiichana's side of the field. "Pegasus warned me about that card!"  
  
"Because your deck is constructed of monsters and trap cards, right bro?" She pointed at the face-down card. "Force activation!"  
  
The card on the field sparked before it rose up. On the face was a monster that seemed to be stuffing its face with food. Despite Sotachii's protests, it soon disappeared. "No! Not Just Desserts!"  
  
"Such a pity. And it was an untimely discarding, too. I'll also play Graceful Charity, then place a monster face-down, defense position." She grinned as she drew three cards, discarded two, and slipped Bait Doll back into her deck and reshuffled it. "Your go, bro."  
  
Sotachii cursed under his breath. "No matter. I still have Overdrive. Attack the face-down card!"  
  
Kiichana laughed. "Did I forget to mention that the face-down card was Illusion Wall?"  
  
Just as the tank reached the face-down card, a wall appeared from nowhere, stopping the tank in its tracks. "Overdrive goes back to my hand because of the effect!"  
  
"Too true."  
  
Linkin: 3750 Kiichana: 4000  
  
"Fine. I'll just end my turn; it's not like I can summon a better monster."  
  
A devious smirk crossed Kiichana's face. "We'll just see about that. And I might as well see if you're lying or not. Activate Eye of Truth!" On the field appeared a card that had an image of an eye on the front. "Okay, let me see 'em, bro."  
  
When Sotachii crossed the field to show her his hand, she laughed at what she saw. "That's it? Two of your Dark Magicians and your three Red-Eyes? You don't even have enough to summon either of them!"  
  
"Shut up. Is that all you're doing?"  
  
"Nope." She slid two cards onto the disk's platform. "I'll play The Forgiving Maiden, defense position, then I'll play Card Destruction!"  
  
"You're cheating somehow!" Sotachii growled as he drew six new cards.  
  
"And I have one more trick up my sleeve!" She played another card. "Activate Monster Reborn!"  
  
Sotachii was laughing now. "What for? You don't have any monsters in your graveyard!" He paused. "I get it! You had a high-level monster in your hand that you really wanted to summon!"  
  
"Who said I was bringing back one of my monsters?" She raised one hand into the air. "Come forth Dark Magician!"  
  
Even from across the field she could see her brother's face turn pale. "You had this set up!"  
  
"Now who mentioned that?" She flicked her hand at him. "Make your move."  
  
Drawing a card, Sotachii groaned. "The hell? How is it I don't have any luck?"  
  
"Dunno, bro. Maybe it ran out?" Drawing another card, she smiled. "Tell me, bro. What would be like a nightmare to you?"  
  
"Losing to those bozos over there!" He pointed to Yami and his friends.  
  
"Losing to anyone would be a nightmare to you." She pulled one of her monsters from the field. "I'll sacrifice Illusion Wall to bring out Dark Witch, attack position!" Her smile never faded. "Also, I'll use Polymerization to fuse The Forgiving Maiden from the field and Marie the Fallen One from my hand to form Saint Joan!" With another dismissing wave she scoffed. "But I'm not sure if I'll need to use her. Dark Witch, Dark Magician, attack his life points directly!"  
  
The violet-haired fairy screamed forward and slashed at Sotachii with her spear. Just after, the tall violet-clad wizard stepped forward, pointing his staff at him. Sotachii fell to his knees.  
  
Linkin: 0 Kiichana: 4000  
  
"I.I lost?" He stared at the ground. "I lost to my own sister? But." He grabbed his head. "No! Not her! You can't do it! I won't let you do that to her!"  
  
He soon rose to his feet, cackling sinisterly, and walked up to Kiichana. "He can plead all he wants. I just don't like being taken lightly!" His hand shot toward her, grabbing her by her throat. "But to lose to a girl, that's just plain embarrassing! I'll make sure you don't do anything like that again!" The tassels of the dark Millennium Ring twin stood up straight, pointing right at Kiichana. The item and Kiichana both glowed brightly before she fell limp in his hand. "Good riddance!"  
  
Those watching gasped. "Kiichana!" Yami shouted.  
  
Mokuba and Serenity threw themselves against their respective brother's sides. Kaiba placed a protective arm around Mokuba's shoulders while Joey knelt down to embrace his younger sister.  
  
"Too close if you ask me."  
  
Taken aback, Yami looked back. Holding a single card in his hand, Pegasus sighed. "A moment longer, and she wouldn't be here." He showed the card to the Egyptian spirit. A frightened girl appeared on the card, but a slight sense of relief could be seen in her face. "I promise you right now I didn't know the Dark Talisman to be this destructive."  
  
"You mean.you gave that to him?"  
  
"As a gift, but like I said, I was naïve about the consequences." He looked down at the card, then back at Sotachii. "Cease your rampage now, Sotachii!"  
  
"My name isn't Sotachii, old man!" The dark soul spirit growled fiercely. "Call me Maji."  
  
"It won't matter what we call you!" The tomb robber stepped forward, shuffling his deck. "You, me, Shadow Realm. Now." He slipped his own Duel Disk onto his arm.  
  
Maji threw Kiichana's soulless body aside. "Fine. Whatever you say, fuzz- head." At the wave of his hand, both pale-haired teens disappeared into a thick cloud of dark violet.  
  
***  
  
Kiichana woke up moaning. She seemed to show no recollection of what happened, but her arms were immediately around Pegasus' neck. "Thank you!" she yelped in his ear. "He was going to destroy my soul like he was going to destroy Joey's!"  
  
Returning the embrace, Pegasus looked at the cloud that was the Shadow Realm. "I'll make sure there's no more soul shredding." He rose to his feet, bring her with him.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"The Shadow Realm." Yugi pointed to the cloud. "Bakura's in there with him. I hope he has as well a victory as you did, Kiichana." He smiled softly. "And you never had to summon Exodia!"  
  
She looked away. "I had to sacrifice it to destroy my brother's hand. Four of the pieces were in my hand by that time."  
  
"So you never really needed Exodia to defeat your brother. I'm impressed." Yugi placed his hands on her shoulders. "Yami taught you well, Kiichana." He looked at her Duel Disk, the cards still in the positions they were in when the duel was over. "I've been meaning to ask you where you got Dark Witch."  
  
"From Mai. She gave it to me in exchange for a Harpie's Brother." She soon smiled at him. "That's why I asked him what his nightmare would be. I was hoping he'd say losing to Mai, which is when I'd tell him how I got the card."  
  
After a moment the cloud disappeared. Both pale-haired duelists were kneeling on the ground, panting heavily. "You idiot! You could've gotten us both killed!"  
  
Megumi ran over to the duo. "Bakura-kun! Tomo-tachii! You two okay?"  
  
"If you stop calling me Tomo-tachii, I'll let you know." Sotachii stumbled to his feet, cradling his head with one hand. "I feel like a freight train just ran over me."  
  
Kiichana ran over and looked up at her older brother. "Are you still possessed by that demon spirit?"  
  
"Possessed? Demon spirit?" He laughed. "Kiichana, have you been reading Dad's old ghost stories again?" Instead of waiting for an answer, he started steering her toward his hovercard. "Come on, Kii-chan. I still have some homework waiting for you."  
  
"What?"  
  
He ignored her, staring back over his shoulder at Bakura. "Hey, fuzz-head! Let's have a rematch on Saturday!"  
  
Bakura waved. "I'll look forward to it!"  
  
"A rematch?" Kiichana looked up at Sotachii as she jumped onto the hovercard behind him. "I don't think you've ever sought, or let someone else seek, a rematch since the rematch you had with Joey last month."  
  
As the hovercard floated lazily through the streets, he shrugged. "I'll probably lose, but who cares." 


	6. The Shadow Duel

ZERA: Another chapter? Kaira-Chan must really want me to draw this out!  
  
YZERA: It's only an explanatory chapter.  
  
ZERA: Yeah, but it's another chapter!  
  
YZERA: But, what is it about?  
  
YBAKURA: It's about how bad I kick Sotachii's ass in a shadow game.  
  
SETO: You? I'm the one that did all the work!  
  
KAIBA: Both of you shut up!  
  
ZERA: .Thanks, Kaiba.  
  
Dark Beginning Extra Chapter: The Shadow Duel  
  
Maji grinned, watching as the cloud that was the Shadow Realm engulfed him. "Well, Bakura, it seems you know how to treat your guests. I love what you did with the place!"  
  
"Who said Bakura was the one that conjured the Shadow Realm?"  
  
Taken aback by the voice, Maji turned around suddenly, facing a familiar brown-haired, blue-eyed face. "You, Kaiba? You couldn't conjure a good notation if your life depended on it!"  
  
"The name's not Kaiba." The taller teen shouldered an item that looked strikingly like the Millennium Rod. "High Priest Seto at your service, fiend."  
  
"But, how'd you get.!"  
  
"Eh, my hikari did a bit of haggling. And some life gambling. Bit surprised he managed to relieve Marik-kun of the Rod." Seto shrugged. "Well, let's get down to business. Do you prefer to go down easy, or is a battle imminent?"  
  
"Out of my way!" Bakura shoved the high priest aside. "I called this duel to order, so I have the honors of defeating him!"  
  
Seto sighed dramatically. "Suit yourself, tomb robber. I'll just stand on the sidelines and watch you get your ass kicked."  
  
"Excuse me? Who's the ruler of the Shadow Realm here?"  
  
"And excuse me? Who's the high priest?"  
  
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Maji glared at the duo with blank eyes. "Either we get this duel over with, or I shred both your souls!"  
  
The two spirits glared at each other for a moment before pointing at each other. "You go!"  
  
"Both of you!" The dark manifestation growled. "I'll duel you both, just to shut you up!"  
  
Seto nodded, slipping a Duel Disk onto his forearm. "Fine then. Whatever makes you happy. We'll play with our own life points, but if Bakura or I win, you will have to spend the rest of your life in the Shadow Realm."  
  
"Deal. We Roshambo to see who goes first." Each duelist threw his hand out, both pale-haired spirits with "paper," and Seto with "scissors."  
  
Maji: 4000 Seto: 4000 Bakura: 4000  
  
"Seems I go first." Seto placed a card face-down on the field. "I play one card face down, and next I'll play Card Destruction!"  
  
A slight smirk crossed Maji's face. "A small price to pay, but whatever."  
  
"And why are you so smug?" Bakura asked, drawing a card. "Kiichana said all you had in your deck was monster and trap cards!" He placed a card onto the field. "Which means, you don't have Monster Reborn, the card I plan to play now! Now, let's see what type of monster I'll choose from your graveyard?" Even as he spoke, the card, fashioned with an ankh, appeared on the field, and a tall, black-scaled dragon appeared before him.  
  
Maji's eyes grew wide. "My Red-Eyes!" He glared down at his cards. "I pass."  
  
Seto glanced over at Bakura, drawing a card as he did. "A rather short duel, don't you think?"  
  
"I was hoping for more of a challenge," answered the tomb robber.  
  
"No matter. I play my face-down card, Monster Reborn!"  
  
The expression on Maji's face soured greatly. "Now what are you going to take from my graveyard?"  
  
"Oh, I just want to see why you and Joey treasure the Red-Eyes Black Dragon so much." Seto smirked. "Sure, I could play the Blue-Eyes in my graveyard if I wanted, but I know you have another Red-Eyes in your graveyard right now." The large black dragon appeared in front of Seto as well. "I really wish this duel could go on, but we cannot risk any more lives." He snirked slightly, raising the Millennium Rod over his head. "Oh, I just can't resist. Goooo, Red-Eyes!"  
  
Maji: 1600 Seto: 4000 Bakura: 4000  
  
Bakura stared blankly at Seto as the black dragon attacked. "And this is supposed to be the Pharaoh's right-hand man?" He drew a card and pointed his hand forward. "Go, my great beast! Deplete his life points!" Just as its twin did, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon went forward and attacked Maji.  
  
Maji: 0  
  
"Now!" Seto lowered the Millennium Rod, pointing it at Maji. "Enjoy your stay in the Shadow Realm! You will find no exit from this place, and Sotachii will have no recollection of you at all. He will still have the Talisman, but you will not be able to torment him or his family any longer." He crossed his arms. "I still can't believe what you did to that pretty little girl."  
  
Bakura sweatdropped. 


End file.
